captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: the hunt for moammar qaddafi intensified today as new battles raged in libya's capital. good evening, i'm jeffrey brown. >> suarez: and i'm ray suarez. on the "newshour" tonight, we have the latest from tripoli, where rebels stormed a neighborhood where pro-qaddafi forces are holding out. >> brown: then, we look at what's next for apple and the world of technology, as steve jobs steps down. >> suarez: we talk to "washington post" sports reporter sally jenkins about the diagnosis of alzheimer's

disease for legendary basketball coach pat summitt. >> brown: from the "economist film project": we get the story of two elderly drivers, still behind the wheel. >> next month, i'll be 97. i've been driving for about 89 years. i think i'm beginning to learn how to do it now. >> suarez: and we have another in our interviews with republican presidential candidates. tonight, former utah governor jon hunstman. >> i believe that on some issues we've gone too far to the right. and i believe that we've got to be more common sense oriented. we've got to be focused on solutions. we've got to be a party of solutions and big ideas. that's how we're going to attract people, and that's ultimately how we're going to win elections. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪

moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> we pumped $21 million into local economies, into small businesses, communities, equipment, materials. >> that money could make a big difference to a lot of people. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life.

and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: gunfire and explosions hammered parts of tripoli today, as rebels swept through neighborhoods in search of moammar qaddafi. we begin our coverage with a report from james mates of "independent television news" in the libyan capital. >> reporter: out of nowhere, the battle that still rages in tripoli was on our doorstep. the hotel where most of the international press was staying and which had been considered relatively safe was engulfed in a gun battle between rebels and what they believed was a qaddafi

loyalist sniping from a high building. it ended as suddenly as it had started, but it was typical of the firefights still making life so difficult for everyone in this city. the rebels have managed to liberate large numbers of political prisoners held in the notorious jail. many had been held by the regime ever since the uprising began more than six months ago. after the guards fled, the prisoners themselves beat down the doors of their cells in which many had been routinely beatenned and tortured. this afternoon we met one of those who escaped, abdul, now back home and reunited with his daughter. in the months he had been held, he confirmed the worst of the stories we had heard about qaddafi's jalz. >> he said he was captured and

they put him in jail. they tortured him. they beat him repeatedly, you know, and they did everything possible, you know, in order to get information from him. >> reporter: for the most part, the fighting and the weaponry have moved to the south of tripoli. the rebels are now convinced they have this battle won. the one piece of news they do want to hear, though, is that qaf has been captured. and this evening, rumors spread through rebel rank ranks that ty may-- just may-- have members of the qaddafi family, possibly even the colonel himself, surrounded in a building. apartments were stormed and doors kicked in amid heavy fire from beth sides. a short time ago, those rumors, perhaps not surprisingly, turned out to be false, but the reaction to them shows the importance being put on capturing the man who has the

power to end this war. >> suarez: amid the fighting, qaddafi remained defiant. one television station broadcast a voice message by qaddafi denouncing the rebels as traitors. the fight for the capital has taken an immense personal toll. lindsey hilsum of i.t.n. visited one area north of qaddafi's compound, where the casualties of this civil war have been especially searing. her report contains graphic images. >> reporter: the wars still within sight of tripoli's mansoura district and what happened here will never be forgotten. a local computer engineer, abdul hamid, showed me where colonel qaddafi's neighborhood thugs had their headquarters. big picture of ghadaffi here. it was a place everyone feared. decorated in the brother leaders favorite green, it's a monument to his eccentricity and to the brutality of his rule. just outside, we found a group of young men, who had watched in horror last saturday as three

people carrying the new libyan flag had approached the qaddafi checkpoint. >> ( translated ): the militiamen stopped them and kicked them to the ground. the people in the flats opposite called out: why are you doing that to libyans? they said if you don't like qaddafi, we'll do the same to you. watch us. >> reporter: the bus-shelter bears the marks of what happened next-- all three were shot in the head and left to die on the street. next door was another qaddafi stronghold where his followers would gather-- a place to avoid in normal times and even more so recently. this was supposed to be a sports center, but it seems that qaddafi's people used it for something more sinister. there's a patch of blood on the ground here and a terrible smell. the local men say there was a refrigerated truck here and they found more than ten bodies inside. we went to the flat of the el goula family.

two sons are still missing, two have returned from a horrific ordeal. arrested last saturday night, they were interrogated for three days but then released by qaddafi's soldiers. munir's story is almost too raw to relate. >> ( translated ): when they opened the gate, mercenaries came and pushed the soldiers back into the jail. they shot an old man in the leg. i didn't think they would kill us, but the mercenaries entered the jail and shot the prisoners in the legs. one took a grenade and threw it in. five times they opened the door, shot inside and threw a grenade. a lot of people died. my brother abdullah was behind me. >> reporter: he says somehow he escaped, but believes 20 soldiers and more than a hundred prisoners were killed.

the local mosque has become the center for a new kind of neighborhood rule. they're trying to establish law and order. the computer engineer, abdul hamid showed us stolen goods they've taken from looters and the weapons licenses the mosque committee issues to men on roadblocks. it won't take too long to clear up the physical scars in mansoura. the mental scars will take much longer. >> brown: late today, at the united nations, a u.s. official said agreement has been reached on a deal that would give the rebels access to one point five billion dollars in libyan assets, now frozen in u.s. banks, for humanitarian efforts. man sewerra the rebel national council said it would be moving immediately to tripoli from its current headquarters in libya. >> suarez: still to come on the "newshour": the end of an era at

apple; a diagnosis of early onset alzheimer's disease; elderly drivers on the road and g.o.p. presidential hopeful jon huntsman. but first, the other news of the day. here's kwame holman. >> holman: emergency declarations went out today as hurricane irene headed for a weekend assault on the u.s. east coast. the storm packed winds of 115 miles an hour as it blasted the bahamas. irene's wind and rain lashed and thrashed normally tranquil beaches in the bahamas, leaving reports of extensive damage. some of the smaller islands took a beating as the category three storm blew along the entire length of the archipelago. >> we had a two-day vacation. >> holman: and ahead of the growing storm, the exodus from beaches in north and south carolina grew, as new forecast tracks showed irene wobbling back to the west. north carolina governor bev perdue warned more than 200- thousand people to head for higher ground, with four coastal counties ordering mandatory evacuations. >> we're asking people all over

eastern north carolina and our coastal regions to take this storm very seriously and to begin to implement their plans. >> holman: as always, some people decided to stay put, despite the warnings. >> we got chased off last year by the storm and it amounted to nothing so we're not going to go anywhere this year. >> holman: up the coast, u.s. navy ships at norfolk, virginia headed out to sea to ride out the storm in calmer waters. and new york city mayor michael bloomberg said he may order evacuations in >> if the worst scenario is going to happen this weekend, we will activate other elements of our coastal storm plan, including the possibility of evacuating new yorkers who live in low-lying areas that could be affected by the storm surges. >> holman: but much of that was contingent on where the storm ultimately tracks. some models had the center of irene moving over the north carolina mainland.

others had the eye of the storm staying well east, out over the atlantic, as it whirls north. new jersey governor chris christie also was considering a mandatory evacuation, but for now he said people should voluntarily leave the shore by midday tomorrow. >> what i will tell you is the current path of the storm is not good for our state. if you're being directed to move and go someplace else. do not try to ride it out. it is not the smart thing to do. >> holman: and in massachusetts, boats were moved out of the water, as many residents recalled hurricane bob and the heavy damage it did 20 years ago. there was damage done on wall street today, after a three-day rally. stocks started out higher, but gave up that ground, and then some. the dow jones industrial average lost nearly 171 points to close at 11,149.

the nasdaq fell 48 points to close at 2,419. financier warren buffett's conglomerate-- berkshire hathaway-- will invest $5 billion in bank of america. buffett endorsed the struggling bank in a statement today, calling it a strong, well-led company. bank of america's stock has lost more than half of its value in the last year, over its mortgage problems and concerns it lacks sufficient capital. the prime minister of india called today for parliament to discuss demands by an aging activist on a hunger strike. 74-year-old activist anna hazare has been fasting for nine days to highlight his crusade against corruption. prime minister manmohan singh addressed lawmakers today on hazare's plan. he also urged the activist to halt his hunger strike. >> he has made his point. it has been registered with us. i respect his idealism. i respect him as an individual.

his life is much too precious and, therefore, i would urge sri anna hazare to end his fast. >> holman: in response, hazare greeted thousands of cheering supporters at his protest camp in new delhi, surrounded by indian flags. they want an ombudsman with sweeping powers to investigate, among other things. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to ray. >> suarez: one of the leading figures in the tech world steps aside and that's spurring many questions about the future for his company and the industry more broadly. >> suarez: his name is virtually inseparable from that of the company he co-founded-- apple. and steve jobs was greatly responsible for its newest high- tech game changers-- the ipod, itunes, iphone and more recently, the fastest-selling tech device ever...

>> the ipad. >> suarez: but even while he's remained the public face of apple, jobs' owns health has been an issue. at 56, he has already had a bout with pancreatic cancer in 2004 and a liver transplant, in 2009. and he's been on medical leave from apple since january for undisclosed reasons. now, his health problems have forced him to take another step back. on wednesday, in a letter to the company's board of directors and the apple community, jobs wrote: "i have always said if there ever came a day when i could no longer meet my duties and expectations as apple's c.e.o., i would be the first to let you know. unfortunately, that day has come." news of the decision helped knock about two thirds of 1% off the value of apple shares today amid a broader market selloff. earlier this month, apple briefly surpassed exxon mobil as the most valuable company in america.

it was all a far cry from the days when steve jobs and co- founder steve wozniak began building their now ubiquitous brand from scratch in a california garage. they scored an early hit with the apple two, the first consumer-grade computer to catch on. by the mid-1980's, the company was in a slump, and jobs was forced out. but he returned in 1996 and apple began a turnaround. still, in a rare interview in 2007, he said his work was never about creating the next big thing. >> you know, again, we don't worry about stuff like that. we just try to build products that we think are really wonderful and that people might want. and sometimes we're right and sometimes we're wrong. >> suarez: in fact, not every apple product has been a home run. an early model of a personal digital assistant-- the apple newton-- didn't catch on. apple also has come under criticism for the low wages and labor practices of its suppliers in china. in one such incident-- as seen

on the "newshour" earlier this year-- the company was accused of being slow to respond when workers building iphones were poisoned by toxic chemicals. but despite those allegations, steve jobs' track record has made him almost a mythic figure in the tech world. >> he's a beloved leader, he's iconic, he represents the heart and soul of apple and frankly it's going to be hard moving on. >> suarez: that task now falls to the current chief operating officer tim cook hand-picked as jobs' successor. cook has been holding down the fort since jobs took medical leave. jobs is not leaving the company. he will stay on as chairman of the board, according to >> suarez: more now about the impact steve jobs has made and what his resignation means from two who watch this field. walter mossberg is the long-time personal technology columnist for the "wall street journal." and charles golvin is a principal analyst for forrester research.

walter mossberg, whether it's consumer electronics, entertainment, even computing-- which is where it all started -- this has been a big impact player, hasn't it? >> well, you know, ray, i think steve jobs is a historic figure. he's not only a historic figure in business but really in america. he has not only disrupted and innovated in computers and consumer electronics for all those products we saw just now listed, but he has in the process shaken up and revolutionized the music industry, the movie industry, publishing industry, even the retail industry, the apple store chain that he built is widely admired. and on the side, while he was doing all that, he bought a little company called pixar and turned it into the most successful studio this hollywood and revolutionized animation. >> suarez: charles golvin, it's famously told that story

and told again with jobs coming back to the company when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. what did he do to shake it up? what happened next? >> well, he-- i think he reinvigorated the passion of the people who had come to apple who had always cared so deeply about the great products that they made. in your piece, you heard that quote from him about just having this incredible passion for making great products. and he came with his first vision of the original i-mac, the different colors -- no commuter had been colored anything but gray before that. he launched that first product. i think more than anything else, he resurrected that belief that wasalatent in all those people in the company that they could once again make great products and change the way people use computers and in the future use musicking and now telecommunications, and then

re invented the way he compute. >> suarez: let's talk about the devotion to great products because they weren't products that competed on price. they almost ignored that and many of the company's failures were because they were wonderful things that people just didn't want to pay the extra 30% or 40% for. >> i think the failures really had more to do with badly executed business strategies, for the most part-- not in every case. but the dwegz to product goes beyond just those words. it's really a devotion to designing products for actual users. a lot of computer companies-- hewlett packard is a good example in what they are doing in spinning off p.c.s-- are really much more interested in selling to businesses, selling toirnt meadearies, like i.t. departments. steve jobs calls those orifices. he's much more interested had designing something for the actual consumer, whether they're in a big company or just a

family. and that-- and he's a perfectionist about it, and he surrounded himself with other people who are just laser focused on that. the other thing, ray, i think is incredibly important, is they don't just make little innovationed based on market research. they take big risks and make big bets on what they think the next thing people will want is. >> suarez: this doing so, created, charles, one of the most valuable companies on the planet. in his rez alation, in his preparation to leave, what has steve jobs done to keep it that way? >> well, he's put people in place who share that same vision, the people like jonathan ive, who is responsible for their designs, and scott forestal, on the i.o.s., the software that runs the iphone and the ipad, and phil schiller who runs market ago all of these people really share

that devotion to the vision that steve jobs created. and i think as mr. mossberg said, that making something for consumers that is going to benefit them in a really significant way allowed them to do something they never dreamed they could do before. and all of those people share that same passion, that vision, and the devotion to perfection and making that product as good as it can possibly be across the board. >> suarez: and what should people know about tim cook? >> well, what i know about him is that he is an operational genius. i think we've heard that phrase thrown about a couple of times talking about him. he has streamlined apple's supply chain. before he came, they really were kind of a mess in terms of their sourcing of the components that go into their products, and he turned that around, made it extremely efficient. and, clearly, he's demonstrated through these times that steve jobs has been out on health

issues that he can operate this company and keep it running at the same high level and performance that it has been able to do when steve jobs is there. >> suarez: the lead time on new productes, presumably, is not today or tomorrow, the next generation of apple products are well launched in the pipeline, aren't they? when will he stop seeing steve jobs' direct hand on some of these products? >> well, i think there are two ways to measure it. worng as you say, is the length of pipe line. and i think at apple, it's a little bit longer than at other companies. they've never managed the company for short-term knowles like quarter to quarter. so i wouldn't be surprise surprf their product pipeline is two or three years, although, obviously, the ones toward the end are maybe not fully fleshed out. the other thing is steve jobs is very much intending to remain active as chairman in making

these big product decision. he's not going to make day-to-day decisions anymore, but when a big, new thing, something on the scale of the ipad, is ready to come out or is in its formative stages, he's going to be consulted, and he's going to be involved. now, obviously, given his health problems, we don't know how long he'll be able to do that. so the answer to your question is i guess when the next big product decision comes up in that pipeline a couple of years from now, if steve jobs isn't around to have his input, then it really will fall on the shoulders of tim cook to not really replace jobs, because i think he's sort of an irreplaceable figure, but to do the kind of curation of products that jobs so famous for. >> suarez: charles golvin, before we go, briefly what, do people who do what you do for a living watch for now from apple? what are analysts going to be looking for to see just how much of a role the new chairman,

steve jobs, will have? >> well, what i'm going to be looking for, really, is the pace of innovation. you know, we've seen apple steadily produce not just these revolutionary new products like the iphone and like the ipad, but the successive iterations of those products continue to bring a high level of innovation, new experiences, new ways of doing things. and i'm going to keep a sharp eye out for that whatthat pace looks like and are we tank to see the same flourishing of new ideas, and if we start to see that decline, then i think that will be attributable to steve jobs' lack of influence. >> suarez: charles golvin, walter mossberg, thank you both. >> pleasure. >> brown: next, a second story about a legendary figure who's coping with a major health problem and for now has decided to stay on in her job. hari sreenivasan begins with some background.

( cheering ) >> sreenivasan: she is the winningest coach in college basketball history. pat summitt has spent 37 seasons leading the lady vols at the university of tennessee, won more than 1,070 games, including eight national championships and summitt told the "washington post" this week she'd begun to feel off her game last season. >> i can remember trying to figure out schemes and whatever, and it wasn't coming to me the way i typically would say, "ok we're going to run this, do that." i began to second guess. >> sreenivasan: her son tyler summitt says he noticed changes as well. >> there was just something different. whether it was asking the same question twice, "what time do i need to go to the office?" losing her keys three times instead of just once-- things

like that something was just a little off and we both noticed it. >> sreenivasan: after a may visit to the mayo clinic, doctors diagnosed pat summitt with early onset dementia alzheimer's. the news stunned the basketball world, especially summitt's players, but they vowed to rally 'round their coach. >> i was trying to hold back tears because i love coach summitt and i love being a part of this program. i feel honored to be under her and be a player. so, seeing that for her was really sad. but like i said, i come away ready to go after it, and ready to fight along with her. >> sreenivasan: summit said plans to continue as head coach, albeit with increased support from her staff. >> i could retire, but right now we're trying to get this team where it needs to be. you know, we've got a veteran group. i'm not going to let this keep me from coaching, that's for sure. >> sreenivasan: it's a decision

that has garnered support from the tennessee athletic community. >> pat summit's an icon for women's basketball, for women's and i feel like one of my jobs is to protect pat summitt, who's a friend and colleague to all of us, to protect the legacy of pat summitt, which is absolutely incredible, and to keep our program moving forward. >> sreenivasan: last season, even as she was struggling with her undiagnosed condition, she led the lady vols to a 34-and-3 season. we turn now to sally jenkins. she is the "washington post" reporter who recently sat down with coach summitt and is also a close personal friend of hers. thanks for being with us. first of all, i'm sorry your mom is going through this. how did she take it initially when she got the test results? >> you know, there was an initial state of denial, i'd say, and the question, "why me?" it's hard to be diagnosed with this, but i think after a month or so, she came to terms with it

and accepted it. >> sreenivasan: sally jenkins, as a friend you said you started to notice some things-- you said there's a faint touch of dimming as though a jar had been placed over a candle. how so? >> pat would ask three times, "what time should i be at practice? what time is the meeting?" pat loves practice. practice is the center of her day, and so if she-- she calls it her classroom when she goes into practice and works with her players. so when she couldn't remember literally what time she had to be at practice, that was a pretty profound sign that something was wrong. tyler has said she would ask, "where are my car keys?" three times in a day instead of one. she's always juggled too many obligations and always juggled so many responsibilities we've seen her lose her cell phone or lose her car keys but this was just beyond normal. >> sreenivasan: you said once she accepted her diagnosis and was out of denial it was like a gun went off and she bolted out

of it. explain that. >> well, it took her a while to come to terms with it, but once she did, she started cracking jokes about it. "i forgot i have dementia," things like that or i'd forget to take the dogs out and she'd say, "i might be rubbing off on you." she had a good time with it and became comfortable saying it, things like that. >> sreenivasan: what is she doing now? what kind of therapy is shy participating in? is she doing mental exercises? >> she is. she has a routine. my mom always has a plan, no matter what it is. she wakes up and has her ipad and does her puzzles and she exercises every day, building the neurons in her brain. and she always has a plan to fight this. >> sreenivasan: sally, is this the type of person she is in every part of her life and how she approaches it? >> absolutely. i mean, i think that pat is fighting this fight the way she's fought every fight that she's ever had, and she's had a lot of them, by the way.

and it's also-- i mean, personally, i really feel it's an extension of everything she's ever taught on the basketball court. i mean, if pat has ever had a purpose as a teacher, it's to teach her players and teach young women and this guy here how to deal with a reversal or a setback. i mean, she's worked her whole life for this moment, and to be in this sort of fight and to show people how you fight. >> sreenivasan: tile ekind of picking up on that, what is it for folks who might not know your mom, who is it that makes her want to keep coaching through this? >> it's her passion. it always has been her passion. she wakes up every day and thinks about the relationships that she has with those young ladies, her players, and she just loves being around them and making their lives better, not only on the court but also off. and so there's tholgt that could take that passion away from her. and she's not anything to let this diagnosis stop her from doing that. >> sreenivasan: sally, we've heard the numbers, but beyond those success on the court, for

information who don't follow college basketball, what is it about pat summitt that holds her in such high regard across so many different sports? >> well, her masterpiece is sitting right next to me. i think it you ever questioned pat's values, or what she teaches or what she tries to do with other people's c,ildren, all you have to do is watch her son in the last few days, and you know she's absolutely authentic in all of her values. i think people know pat a lot better now after the last few days, and that's one thing that is gratifying to me as her friend. i've always wished everybody could know the pat they know. and i feel like people will actually get to do that now. i think they're seeing her courage, her humor, her warmth. and, frankly, you know the very best of her in this guy here. >> sreenivasan: and, sally, what's been the reaction across the college basketball world or the athletic world? are people writing in? >> yeah, there's many, many, many reactions.

coaches, her friends in the profession are terribly upset. you know, her former players, obviously, are terribly upset. but, you know, everyone i've talked to, i've said, the best anecdote for this is to talk to pat directly. every time i start to feel bad about this you look at her and talk to her and i feel a lot better. i have a lot of faith in the way she's fighting. i have a lot of faith in her inner strength, the way she's dealing with this. i think tyler and i feel pretty good about her because we've gotten to be around here in the next week to 10 days and watched her gearing up to go public. i think we feel better than a lot of people who haven't been able to talk to her and see her. >> sreenivasan: tyler, has your mom thought about the fact that in some ways she's carrying a larger community on her shoulders? she's almost becoming an ambassador for alzheimer's, too. >> my mom is very modest. she never looks past the lady vols. even though she may realize other people are watching she focuses on what she does every

day and, again, stays modest and just does what she's always done, be really open and honest about things and have her program be an open book. >> sreenivasan: sally, a last question about basketball here, what is the support infrastructure she has set up when the lady vols take the court this year? what kind of role is she playing? how has she sort of formally moved things around? >> well, she'll delegate some things. i think pat's having some difficulty tracking all 10 players, time, possession,oth benches. the shifting schemes of a 40-minute game. she's having trouble track all of that information together. so i think she'll delegate some of the play calling responsibility. but she is still the greatest rebounding coach in the world. she's still the greatest defensive coach in the world. she's still the greatest motivator in the world and she still is one of the greatest leaders i've ever met and will ever meet. so they're going to emphasize pat's strengths and what she has always done well, and the things she's having a little trouble dealing with they'll delegate to

her assistant coaches. she's got 89 years combined experience on the bench behind her. her associate head coach holly has worked with her for 28 years. mickey demoss has worked with her for 20 years. the youngest member of the staff has been here seven years and participated in two championships. she has a real brain trust on the bench around her. as a friend, i just parachute in periodically from out of town. i can go home with a lot of peace knowing she's got that kind of armor and love around her. >> sreenivasan: all right, sally jenkins from the "washington post." thank for your work and your articles and, tyler, best of luck to you and your mom. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> suarez: and now to another in our "economist film project" series. tonight's documentary is called "old people driving." according to the american automobile association, triple "a," 37 million americans will be 65 or older by the year 2020

and at least 90% of them will still be licensed to drive. filmmaker and journalist shaleece haas looks at two elderly drivers who are approaching the end of their driving years and facing the loss of independence that comes with turning over their keys. here's an excerpt from her film. ♪ >> my name is milton cavalli. next month, i'll be 97. i've been driving for about 89 years. i think i'm beginning to learn how to do it now. >> this is my grandfather. i've been a passenger in his car since i was a kid, so it never occurred to me there was something strange about him driving until he went to renew his license last year. the new one expires on his 100th birthday.

>> i feel some people that ride with me figure-- due to my age, they're a little bit apprehensive about my driving. keep directing me which to go, this way, that way, turn here, look out for that light there. i know all these things. i'm driving, i see them. nobody has to tell me about them. when they do that, i figure they figure i can't figure out there's a stoplight ahead of me or something. if that comes to be, i'm not driving anymore. ♪ >> ( coughing ) i'm herbert bauer and i'm still 99, but not much longer. i have driven a car for about 80

years and it's about time to change before somebody invites me to change. i have been driving without any accident for so long and i wouldn't want to spoil my record. so i'll try something else for a while. >> will you miss your car? >> i plan to, yes. >> herbert and my grandfather are among the oldest drivers on the road, but they're not alone. today, there are three million drivers over 85. and as the population ages, their ranks are growing. >> there's this myth that senior

drivers are the worst drivers. that's a myth. it's not true, and statistics clearly show that the age group that we should be more concerned with is the youth group. >> older people are more likely to cause an accident than other adult drivers. but young people under 25 are by far the riskiest drivers on the road. teenagers are also more likely to kill other people when they crash. but older drivers, with their fragile bodies, are mostly a danger to themselves. >> as we age, our vision, our hearing, our reflexes deteriorate. and the first advice i give everyone is, don't wait for others to have to intervene and take away those keys. >> in a couple of weeks i'm going to be a hundred.

and statistically, it is of course increasingly dangerous to drive. i presume for a while i feel helpless. and the fact that i plan to feel helpless may protect me from feeling that way. but once i quit driving, i do not presume to resume it. i take my last drive. i hand over my keys and walk home. >> as in most states, california drivers over 70 have to renew their license in person every five years. they take a vision test and a knowledge test. but they don't necessarily have to prove themselves behind the wheel. >> but there really is no test that's perfect because people develop problems that interfere

with driving at different times. we can't rely just on d.m.v. to sort these people out. the culture should be saying to families, you have a responsibility too, if you think someone in your family has a problem, of doing something about it. >> when do you step in and take away someone's independence? and i think in our family particularly freedom and independence is a very high value for all of us. if my fathers faculties diminish and he truly becomes a danger on the road to himself and others, i would do everything in my power to try and stop it. and if he agreed, that would make it a whole lot easier. but if he didn't agree, it would be frightening because i don't know what kind of drastic measures i would have to do to ensure that he wouldn't drive. >> you know, if i couldn't drive, i don't know what i'd do. i have no idea.

>> i try not to think of it too much because it would be kind of sad not to be able to get out, you know, with him. i can get out with other people, but it wouldn't be the same. >> i just could not sit in a house all day waiting for time. to me, that would be there sitting there waiting to die and i don't want to do that. if i was a danger to somebody else or myself driving, then i'd quit. but as long as i feel capable and i drive safely, i'm going to do it. >> suarez: many states require vision tests for seniors renewing their licenses but only illinois requires senior drivers to take a road test regularly. you can learn about the "economist film project" or submit your own film at film.economist.com.

>> brown: finally tonight: an interview with republican presidential candidate jon huntsman, the second in our series of conversations with the contenders seeking to take on president obama in next year's election. from a prominent utah family, he worked in the family chemical business and for three republican presidents. before serving as governor of utah from 2005 to 2009, he was appointed ambassador to china by president obama and held that post until last april. he announced his candidacy two months later. i met with huntsman earlier today in washington. governor huntsman, welcome. >> pleasure to be with you. >> brown: a line you have been repeating recently is the u.s. is a center-right nation. now does that define you as a candidate and what does that mean? >> i think in a sense it does. we have always found solutions to our problems right about at that end of the political scale.

we're ragmatic problem-solving people. i like to think we're bringing to the forefront an approach that is that of a conservative problem solver, someone who as governor created the most competitive environment for business and job creation. we went about a health care reform very practically and pragmatically. without a mandate, with a free-market approach to closing a gap on the uninsured. so if you look at our track record, whether it's as governor or its work overseas-- i've lived overseas four times, a couple times as ambassador-- it's a practical, pragmatic, conservative problem solver, and i believe that's consistent with where this country is politically. >> brown: on the main issue of the day, the economy, jobs, you have talked about reforming the tax code, a flat or flatter tax. does that mean that you oppose or would you like to end the progressive tax code that we

have? >> i think that what we is dated. i think 17,000 pages that make up our tax code make it a little top heavy and a little unpredictable for a lot of people longer term, particularly on the business side. i would like to do what we did in the state of utah, phasing out the deductions, phasing out the loopholes, phasing out corporate welfare, the biases inherent at the very top-heavy tax code, buying down the rate in a revenue-neutral fashion, broadening base, and leaving the tax code a whole lot more competitive for the 21st century. >> brown: but does broadening base bring lower-age earners into paying taxes, many who don't today, and does it end, as i said, the progressive nature of our tax korkd or does it change it, so that lower wage earners pay more in dispaxz upper end come down? >> it would change elements of the tax code to that end. it would bring more people into

the tax code who would then become taxpayers. you could bring that in gradually. it could be a progressive approach to bringing a certain segment of the population in. but basically, it does. it lowers the rate, flateps the rate and i think threafs a whole lot more competitive for where this country needs to be in the future. >> brown: one topic is the extension of the payroll tax cut. they're due to end in january. and there is a question of whether they should be extended. a number of republicans have suggested that that's not a priority. where do you come down? >> i think the payroll tax cut is a good thing. i think it helps a whole lot of people, and i think it's something that would serve to stimulate this economy going forward. >> brown: it should be extended. >> i would consider extending it. >> brown: another tax issue, the investor and philanthropist warren buffet has written

recently that those at the very, very high end can and should pay more in taxes. is he right? >> well, i would say there's going to have to be a shared sacrifice in this country, and i think that people at all levels are going to have to step up, whether it's recognizing that medicare is going to be done a little differently, soc security is going to be done a little differently, and as president i wouldn't hesitate to call on sacrifice from all of our people, even those from the very highest end of the income spectrum. >> brown: higher taxes for those at the-- >> i'm not saying higher taxes. i'm saying that there are contributions they can make, too. and as president, when you look at the full spectrum of options, where this country is and what we need to deliver a truly competitive economy for our people, we're going to have to ask for sacrifice and i'm not going to hesitate to do that. >> brown: what does that mean specifically? >> over time we're going to figure that out. but i'm not going to give a

one-size-fits-all scenario here. i know there are people who can give perhaps more than otheres, maybe as it relate toltz means testing around social security and medicare, people who don't need these expridges we need to look realistically at where we are, where our vulnerable spots are, where our vulnerable populations are, and recognize that for what it is and recognize the populations that don't need these victims and make some choice around that. >> brown: on the foreign policy front as we sit here today, rebels in libya have taken tripoli. moammar qaddafi is on the run and it looks as though his long dictatorship is over. now, you opposed, originally, president obama's decision to intervene, working with nato. were you in retrospect wrong about that? >> i don't think so. i-- i cheer on the rebels. i don't yet know what that means in terms of leadership going forward. i don't know what it means in terms of respecting human rights, although with the national transition authority, i heard some of the right language. but there are a lot of question

marks still about how this is going to play out, what it means to the people of libya, what it means to the economy and regional stability longer term. so my original premise was based on libya not being a core u.s. national security interest, and i maintain that view today, although i cheer on the rebels and i think it's terrific. tunisia and egypt kind of did it on their own. they didn't need the united states to move those-- those transitions forward. i think the same is true in libya. we applaud the rebels, but i have to tell you, the future of the united states is not tied to libya. and it's not tied to afghanistan. and it's not tied to iraq. i hate to inform you. it's really tied to whether or not this country is up for the competitive challenges of the 21st century, and that's an economic battle that's going to play out across the pacific ocean more than anything else. >> brown: now let me ask you about the tough fight that you're in right now. you sent out that recent tweet

about supporting revolution and the science of global warming. you wrote,"call me crazy." and then you also said recently, "the minute the republican party becomes the antiscience party, we have a huge problem." the question is, do you believe that the republican party is moving in the wrong direction for the american people as a whole? >> i believe that the republican party is still a centered party-- although i do believe there are many who have left the republican party who are now independent. you can't win elections with 5% here or 15% there. you've got to establish a big-tent approach. that's the realist speaking in me. and i will tell you that i believe that on some issues we've gone too far to the right and i believe that we've got to be more commonsense oriented. we've got to be focused on solutions. we've got to be a party of solutions and big ideas. that's how we're going to trooct people and that's ultimately how we're going to win elections. >> brown: these were aimed at

governor perry in particular, and michele bachmann, you suggested they may be unelectable. is that what the realist? you tells us? >> i was answering questions about a response on ben bernanke being thereseinous, which i think was inappropriate, and i think it was not based on the reality of the situation. nor i do think it is reflective of the kind of person that people would look to seriously as a presidential candidate. so when asked about these qerkz i'm just going to give an answer that i think reflects reality. that's the world i live, and i try to see these things based upon the real world and where we are, and what it means in terms of the real-world application of certain decisions. that's why i stood alone on that stage on the debt ceiling debate when every one of my competitors said let the nation default. i said 25% of the world's g.d.p. can't default. it would so disrupt the

marketplace. we set the rhythm for the international marketplace. you can't default for the first time ever in the history of our country. >> brown: that set you apart and yet you still seem to be having a hard time breaking through. polls show you still way down there. is there a point at which you decide, hey, this is a quixotic mission, maybe look to the next-- the next-- 2016, and say okay, not this time? >> well, i've been called crazy, never quixotic. take it for what it is. realizing that we're coming out of august. people aren't paying attention to the race. a lot of the insiders are, but labor day is kind of when people begin to focus on the race. i like our position as we move into september, october, november. because in the end, the republican party, i believe, is going to want to nominate someone who can go the distance, someone who can be electable, someone who brings real-world solution to the problems that we have, some, i believe, who can bring the numbers together that actually spells victory. you're going to have to be able

to cross traditional boundaries. you're going to have to win over some independents in order to get the numbers, in order to make the math work. and as people increasingly look at the field of players, i think they're going to come to the conclusion that we may be one of-- if not the only one who basically can put the numbers together to actually win in 2012. >> brown: all right, a last sort of "who is jon huntsman?" question. i note that you ride and race motorcycles. i've read that you wanted to be a rock 'n' roll star at one point in your life. you-- you sit here, you come off as a sort of polished, calm fellow, rather reserved. is there a wild ask crazy jon huntsman in there somewhere? >> now you're calling me quixotic again, i take it. i think i'm a person full of life. most importantly, i'm a farther of seven kids, and i think i see the world very realistically through their eyes, and the country that they're about to

inherit, being less good, less productive, and less competitive than any other that we've handed down in history. for the first time we're not handing upward in terms of our standards. we're handing downward. it is totally unnatural in this country to be as divided as we are. we're a blue sky, optimistic bunch of people. we like to pull together in times of needs and we're divided today. that hurtsz. that pains a lot of people and we have to figure out how to unite as a nation. >> brown: jon huntsman, thank you very much. all might have conversation with jon huntsman is on our web site as is judy woodruff's interview with texas congressman john paul can we'll talk with other g.o.p. contenders in the coming months. >> suarez: again, the major developments of the day: the hunt for moammar qaddafi intensified as new battles raged in libya's capital. hurricane irene blasted the bahamas, with winds of 115 miles an hour and headed

toward a weekend strike on the u.s. east coast. and wall street pulled back, after a three-day rally. the dow jones industrial average lost more than 170 points. find more about the coming storm on our website, kwame holman has the details. kwame? >> holman: track hurricane irene's path using a special map with data from n.o.a.a., google and others. that's on the rundown blog. is eating healthy bad for your family's budget? our health unit examines the costs of good nutrition and offers strategies for smart shopping at the grocery store. plus we look at nasa research on how black holes can consume a star. watch an animation on our science page. all that and more is on our web site: newshour.pbs.org. ray. >> suarez: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. i'm ray suarez. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. with mark shields and david brooks, among others. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

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